Don Giovanni

Cast

Don Giovanni: Seth Carico
Leporello: Thomas Glass
Donna Anna: Symone Harcum
Donna Elvira: Sara Gartland
Don Ottavio: Efrain Corralejo
Zerlina: Leah Brzyski
Masetto: Charles M. Eaton
Commendatore: Allen Michael Jones

Creative Team

Director and Choreographer: Keturah Stickann
Conductor: Mario Antonio Marra
Set Design: Liliana Duque Pineiro
Costume Design: Sarah Bahr
Lighting Design: Mary Shabatura
Hair and Makeup Design: Priscilla Bruce
Fight and Intimacy Director: Doug Scholz-Carlson

Reviews

“There's much to talk about when an opera company chooses to stage Mozart's "Don Giovanni." It has a problematic plot about a man obsessed with his sexual "conquests," and that's but the tip of the icky iceberg. There's an aria in which a woman begs to be abused, and what's more, the whole thing is largely framed as a comedy.

‍

But the director of Minnesota Opera's new production of "Don Giovanni" has some very refreshing ideas about how to present this material in the 21^st century. She has an all-woman creative team helping her lend the work a plethora of fresh staging ideas.”

AND

“Director Keturah Stickann's pro-female concept is boldly imaginative, as the opera's three lead sopranos prove far more than just victims of a womanizing protagonist.”

~ Star Tribune

“Stage director Keturah Stickann’s vision doesn’t sugarcoat the issues at play. The first lines in the opera begin with Leporello complaining about his boss, and Donna Anna (Symone Arcum) chasing Don Giovanni after an assault. In Minnesota Opera’s production, Stickann begins the action earlier, showing Giovanni raping Donna Anna as the overture plays. The scene disquiets, and sets the violent tone for the rest of the opera.”

~ Sheila Regan, Pioneer Press

“Beyond the genius of Mozart's work and the excellence with which it is performed, the casting for this production is outstanding. Every one of the eight featured roles possesses a beautiful voice, adding to the luster of the score (sung in Italian with English supertitles) while also conveying the essence of their character through stage presence and movement, truly engaged not only in singing but in telling a story. The stage direction by Keturah Stickann works around a revolving set piece to maintain continual action on stage. Transitions from one scene to the next occur without ever pausing so that our engagement with the narrative similarly never flags.”

~ Arthur Dorman, Talkin' Broadway

“The impact that this production will have on anyone who sees it is that women are not the weaker sex as may have been perceived back then. They can take total control, and as the director mentions, it shows how far we have evolved as a society with gender identity and politics. I think that is especially important for today's audience. It will make them think about gender ideologies and the politics behind them. It will open dialogue and effect change. For these reasons, audiences need to see this production of Don Giovanni.”

~ Jared Fessler, Minnesota Playlist

Photographs by: Cory Weaver